


Stolen Memories

by BudBrock



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Comedy, F/M, Friendship, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-08-20 09:05:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16552910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BudBrock/pseuds/BudBrock
Summary: Hank twiddled his thumbs, angry that that was all he could really do. His mate was in obvious distress and he could no easier hold her to soothe it away then he could herd a group of cats.“Well, it was actually what I couldn’t find. Your life involving everyone here at the school is simply, gone.” He winced at Charles’ words. Hearing them spoken aloud and sounding so absolute kept constricting his heart.





	1. Chapter 1

Waking up was always her least favorite part of the day. When you wake up, you have to get out of your nice, warm, comfy bed. When you wake up, you have to acknowledge your to-do list and anything you forgot to do yesterday.

With her personally, it was the fact that her brain always booted up before the rest of her ever did. Her brain has never left her alone of a morning; its always reminding her of things like, “You forgot to put the wash in the dryer” or “You forgot to cover the left-overs”. It was difficult on a normal day to sleep in with or without an alarm. She hated that annoying beeping.

_Annoying beeping…?_

That sounded nothing like her alarm clock or her iPod.

_What?_

She opened her eyes slowly, thankful for the low lighting in the… really, _strange_ hospital-esque room she was apparently in.

_Wait. Huh?_

She blinked at the green line that spiked in sync with the beeps. It was a heart monitor.

_Okay, that made sense. Maybe_

Her mind raced, why was she here? The last thing she remembered was going to Soul Jam with her cousins. It was at Kings Island this year, one of the best places for roller-coasters ever. In fact, the last thing she remembered was getting on The Beast.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes trying to alleviate some of her drowsiness.

 _That’s strange_ , She stilled as the thought hit her, _I don’t have my glasses. Not that I need them because apparently my eyes are miraculously fine without them, huh_

Her body involuntarily jumped as a large warm hand appeared at the small of her back, and a naggingly familiar voice spoke quietly to her.

“Are you in any pain? Do you need anything?” Her head lifted slowly and she stared wide-eyed at the, _blue_ man? The very blue-furred, is suppose to be a fictional character, man.

_Well that’s ironic. Also, not the same Beast she was thinking about_

She did not currently posses the necessary brain functions to understand this. Nope. No. Just, let’s just…

We’re going to stare at the wall and wait for a mental reboot, that’s what we’re gonna do. Yep. That should do it.

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Hank sighed tiredly as he rubbed a clawed hand across his face. The week had been rough. From dealing with Apocalypse, rebuilding the school to getting classes and training started again. It was a lot of work and stress.

Nothing was quite as trying on Hank however, as the coma Emmalia had been put in. He watched her monitors day and night waiting for changes.

It was sorely unfair. Of all the possible targets, it had to be the one person unable to take the beating. Nearly all involved were mutants, mutants capable of withstanding some serious physical abuse. Yet she was the only one to come back with serious injuries. She was the only normal one among them, why?

Hank huffed a small laugh. Normal was not a word he would use to describe her. Amazing, wonderful, beautiful, even quirky, but normal was something she most definitely was not.

He swiveled his chair from the computer desk he was at to face her bed across the room. He stared at her a few moments, just watching her chest rise and fall peacefully, before smiling.

Lia would wake up soon he knew it. She was already showing major exhibits of brain activity. She could turn her head and on more than one occasion, he had seen her wrinkle her nose. It was adorable the way her petite appendage would wriggle like a rabbits.

He reminded himself to be patient. The beast in him growled at the thought; it didn’t want to wait any longer. He forced it back knowing those instincts weren’t going to help him right now.

They didn’t really help him in the beginning either. He and Emmalia had gotten off on the wrong foot immediately and unfortunately.

It had surprised him when a normal human had showed up to help them with their _mutant_ team. Though if it hadn’t been for her Hank was almost certain the school would’ve been a total mess, Charles would be debilitated and a certain blue red head would be a completely different person. Overall, he practically owed his life to this wonderful woman who became his world.

Hank closed his eyes and smiled remembering their time together. She really was extraordinary, not to mention rare. An honest woman; honest to the point that she made no bones about telling them that she had secrets she wasn’t allowed to tell.

That didn’t stop him from getting to know her though, and Lia never failed to surprise him. He never thought a non-mutant would have a dedication to this school and its cause so great that she would risk herself for it and its children.

He was still angry about that, but not with her. Ever the valiant woman, she did what she knew was right without a single thought of herself in mind. That’s one of the things he loves about her, and there was no reason to be angry about that.

He was furious, however with Apocalypse and everything he had done. Just one thought of that ugly, big-nosed, ancient…

A deep intake of breath broke his thoughts. Hanks eyes snapped to Amelia. He froze as he watched her slowly wake. She tossed her head this way and that before stilling, facing away from him.

He didn’t move until he saw her sit up with a wince. No doubt she was most likely sore or in pain.

Hank rose from his chair silently and made his way to her. He realized she thought she was alone when she startled at his touch. He almost apologized but stopped himself. Taking care of her physically was more important right now.

“Are you in any pain? Do you need anything?” Hank was as shocked as Amelia looked when her eyes made contact with his, and there was no recognition in their blue-green depths.

That look alone felt like a bullet to his heart.

The seconds ticked by uncomfortably as she stared at him as if he wasn’t real. She blinked twice before turning away from him to stare blankly at the wall. Her scent hit him square in the face. It was a sour mixture of panic and distress. She had only given off that scent once, and that was when the school had exploded weeks prior and two of their children were still inside.

_The children! Oh, no_

Something was wrong and he needed to figure out what soon. He could only keep them away for so long, they were already seeing her nightly. Her scent tormented him immensely as he beat a hasty retreat from his lab. He would need help with this.

Hank would need to calm down before he tried to contact Charles. Any longer in there with her and the beast would be in control.

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_What in the world. What. In. The. World. Like seriously. What heck!_

Good Lord she must have finally went off the deep end. She was seriously starting to regret that X-men marathon.

She knew she was a dreamer. She knew her preference for fantasy worlds was unhealthy. She knew one day pretending to be a part of the story would get her in trouble, but goodness gracious she never thought that she would completely lose touch with reality! This whole room felt and smelled real.

Curiously, she got out of the bed she was in. It took a bit to get her bearings, not moving for what she guessed to be a long time had made her stiff and sore. She stood up and numbly made her way toward the wall. Yep, according to her fingers and the cold that’s seeping into them, that wall is real.

A weird thought struck her.

She looked around to see if anyone was still there. Nope, Beast was gone. Quickly leaning forward she ran the tip of her tongue across the wall. Yep, it tasted real too.

Well then. Either

A: She’s gone completely insane.

B: She’s in a deep coma and is dreaming up an amazing reality.

Or

C: This is all very real and she’s somehow been transported to Marvels’ movieverse.

She obviously wasn’t dreaming because she always knew what was going on in her dreams. Like why she was there and what she was supposed to do, whether it made sense or not. That and she’s never really been aware that she’s dreaming. Of course she could also be on some serious hallucinogenic drugs.

“Though those are very logical conclusions; however I am going to have to say that C is probably the most accurate.” 

Her body spun around so fast she nearly slipped on the tile floor beneath her. She staggered sideways as she regained her balance, glaring at the socks she hadn’t realized were on her feet. Then, she raised her gaze to stare at the man who startled her.

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When Hank said there was a problem, his first thought was that the scientist in him was simply overthinking whatever he was working on. However, when Hank finished explaining what had transpired between him and Amelia he grew worried. That did not sound like the woman they knew.

They made their way hastily back to the downstairs labs, Charles already reaching for the constant thrum of strange thoughts that comprised Amelia’s mind. Her mind was difficult to read on a good day, for all the thoughts that cluttered her brain. Charles found it amusing how one could think 10 things at once and only be capable of focusing on 1 or 2 of them. Amelia herself would be the first to tell anyone that she was not capable of multi-tasking.

He could hear Amelia’s thoughts clearly now as they approached the door. Well, this certainly was a problem. Hank had been right to assume memory tampering. She thought this entire place was fictitious.

He smiled at her logic. Hallucinogenic drugs indeed.

“Though those are very logical conclusions, I am going to have to say that C is probably the most accurate.”

He felt a little guilty when he saw her almost fall trying to turn to face him. He watched quietly as she glared at her covered feet before looking at him.

Her thoughts immediately assaulted him. They came in waves, unforgiving, broken and incoherent as always. He saw flashes of memories. All he could catch were a couple of small bits, one was of him bald and in a wheelchair, another was of a strange creature resembling a satyr that held a strange resemblance to himself, and the name James McAvoy.

He cleared his throat. Well then. Perhaps introductions were in order.

“I am Professor Charles Xavier a…”

“I know who you are.” Amelia cut him off. “But, I have no idea how I got here.”

Charles frowned. “You, know who I am? But you don’t know who he is?” He gestured to Hank who for his part was imitating a statue behind him. Not that he blamed the man; this development was likely the nastiest shock for him.

“No, I know who he is.” The way she said it, so casually, made both he and Hank raise their eyebrows in question.

“You know who he is.” Charles repeated her, and again gestured behind him.

“Yeah. Henry Philip McCoy, AKA the Beast. Extremely intelligent mutant, graduated from Harvard at the age of 15 with a doctorate in genetics. He also dabbles in various medical fields and astrophysics. A lot of people know who he is.”

Well then, this was becoming stranger by the second. Charles sighed. Poor Hank

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This was crazy. Professor Xavier was talking to her. More strange, she was talking back. Scratch that, he was walking. On both legs. What the! He wasn’t even bald!

_Ok, ok enough. FOCUS_

From what she could piece together from the interaction, whatever she said wasn’t taken well. If anything, assuring them she knew them seemed to cause some amount of distress.

“Then perhaps we should be asking who you are?” Xavier and Beast seemed to hold their breath as they stared at her expectantly.

“Me? Well, if this is a dream or in my head in anyway-not to mention if it is real- then you should know who I am.” She could see that, yes, they did know who she was. She could’ve sworn they’d known each other for a long time.

“That is a logical assumption. However, given that this is indeed real, we would like _you_ to tell us who you are.” He was being diplomatic she could tell, and at the same time assuring. That’s nice, just not helpful right now.

The seconds stretched on as she just stared at them thinking. If this was in her head they would probably be a lot more OOC. She liked to think that she was capable of writing characters, well in character, but she didn’t think she was this good.

“Let’s start simple then.” She jumped at the sudden address. If this was in her head then she probably would have seen that coming. Just saying.

“I would like to know your full name, where and when you were born and where you currently live.” Charles gave her a smile as he waited for her to answer.

She took a deep breath. _If you insist_

“My name is Emily Marianne Bullock; I was born on July 7th 1998 in Cincinnati Ohio. I currently live in Waushara County’s village of Hancock in Wisconsin; area code is 54543 at 244 Gibbs Street. Phone number is 715-839-5628. Would you like my social security number as well?” Her poker face never broke, but theirs did. Though this was the right answer, she knew it wasn’t the one they wanted.   


	2. Brand New Reality

It was all gone. Everything; every memory, every moment was just, gone. She knew him and yet she didn’t know him. He wasn’t sure how to handle this. His heart ached to gather her up in his arms and simply relish in the fact that she was okay, but he knew in his mind he could not.

It was more than likely that his actions would not be accepted. That somehow hurt more, knowing she would reject him if he were to try to be affectionate. She was so far away once more, and it seemed like there was nothing he could do. The beast did not do well with helplessness and he fought the urge to whine.

“If you would be so kind…Emily, as to excuse me and Doctor McCoy for a moment please? Thank you.” He didn’t see what her reaction was and he didn’t care to. To look into those eyes and know that she _doesn’t remember_ hurt far worse than he cared to give thought.

With his head bowed he numbly followed Charles out of the room.

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Emily was sure they were going to talk about something important and most likely about her. Therefore, she nodded a yes to Xavier’s request and waited 3 seconds after they left before quietly creeping up to the door to listen in.

She had to strain her ears, but she could hear them.

“…alright Hank?”

“I’m fine.”

“Hank, you are not fine. Now tell me how you really are, or do I have to read your mind?”

She heard Beast heave a sigh. “It hurts.”

_It almost sounded like he let out a whine._

“I can only imagine.”

“Isn’t there anything you could do to help her remember? Anything at all?”

_Remember what?_

“We can start by having a look Hank, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to do much. Whatever or whoever has altered her memories has completely overwritten her entire life. That is no small feat.”

Beast growled low. “It had to have been Apocalypse. He was the one that threw her around like she was nothing, that…”

_The battle with Apocalypse! Ok, now I know **when** I am. Now to find out the why?_

“Hank, we’ll find a way. Whether that means fixing the problem or overcoming it, we’ll find a way. Alright?”

Beast sighed again. She could hear the distress and pain in it, and it broke her heart.

“Ok.”

“Are you sure you want to be there when I look? It is perfectly understandable if you don’t want to…”

“She’s my **mate** of course I’ll be there.”

The way Beast growled out that sentence had her eyes bulging from their sockets.

_Mate?! I’m his…_

Well that explained the attitude. But seriously. Her. As in her? Beasts’ mate? This couldn’t possibly be real.

“We have a listener.”

_CRAP!_

She flung herself from the door and quickly climbed onto the bed.

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“We have a listener.” Charles sighed. Well they weren’t going to be able to keep much from her. Some things never change.

“How much did she hear?”

Charles wasn’t sure. He was focused entirely on Hank during their conversation. He wouldn’t have known she was there at all if it wasn’t for her very loud thoughts about being Hanks mate.

“Well she definitely heard that last part.” Hank had excellent shielding for his mind but, in his pain, his old friend was an open book.

 _Such things should not happen to such a good man_.

Charles had been elated for Hank when he noticed how close he and Amelia had become. He liked the woman from the moment he heard her first thought. She had been assigned to their mutant team through some sort of obscure branch of the CIA to keep an eye on them; at least, that was the story she was supposed to tell them.

He found no ill thoughts towards him, their rag tag-team and especially Hank.

He had done a lot more match making than he thought he would have had to, but they made a wonderful couple in the end.

She was a sweet girl and she loved Hank and the students in the school. Her loyalty was more than proved by her actions during the incident in ’73 and the battle with Apocalypse.

Charles would do whatever he could for them and their family. He had a feeling this was going to be a long journey for all involved.

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Emily watched as they came back into the room a few moments after she clambered into the bed.

“Ame…Emily, we would like permission to look you over and check on your injuries. We have reason to believe that you’ve sustained some sort of mental…”

“I know you caught me. Just tell me the truth. It’s probably no weirder than being here or what I heard.”

She stared at Charles for a few moments and he held her stare a few longer.

“Very well, but I don’t think it’s wise to tell everything.” Emily wasn’t sure what would be classified under “don’t tell”, but she mulled the idea over for a bit.  

“Fine, but I’d like to eventually know.”

Charles nodded. “Of course”

She waited for him to continue. It took a while though because he was mulling over what to say.

“As you’ve already heard you are married to Hank. That makes you Mrs. McCoy. You are also a type of teacher here at the school. Mostly you act as a nurse or counselor, but you do substitute teach for most classes when the professors are elsewhere.”

“You almost called me Am-something. What’s my name?”

Emily didn’t expect Hank to speak.

“Amelia.” Her and Charles both turned to regard him. “Amelia Renee McCoy. Or at least, that’s what you said you were supposed to be called…” He trailed off awkwardly.

“My initials spell ‘arm’?” Okay, not the best retort.

“You never cease to amuse, no matter the situation.” Charles laughed. “Hank?”

He waved his hand to get Hanks attention before motioning to her.

Emily watched as he approached her slowly. Now that she was fully awake and accepting her reality, she had a good look at him. Before her brain was trying to process him being real, now it was enjoying it.

_Traitor_

He was far more handsome in person than on a screen. With his chiseled features, broad chest, and those gorgeous eyes. His amber, fire-like irises looked so sad though. She felt it was all her fault. Before she could think of what she was doing or what she was saying, the words were out of her mouth.

“I’m sorry.” Hank stopped and stared into her eyes surprised.

_Que awkward explanation_

“I mean…Well that is. I’m sorry I don’t remember being who I’m supposed to be. If that makes any sense, sorry, it probably doesn’t I’m not the best at explaining. What I mean is that I…” She trailed off as she saw him smile. It was an amazing smile; he should do that more often. She smiled slightly back.

Hank cleared his throat lightly. “Uh…if you could, turn around…yes. Thank you.” She did as he asked.

Emily felt his hands carefully pull back the collar of the nightgown she was wearing. She figured her injuries were on her backside. While she started wondering what had happened to her person she could hear Hank pulling open a drawer to grab something. She could feel his breath ghost across the back of her neck as he began rubbing…something on her upper back, then he began explaining.

“This is to help with pain and fatigue; it will relax your muscles. During a fight, you were thrown pretty far and the broad of your back landed against various pieces of scrap metal and debris. The damage wasn’t severe, but you will have a few… _scars_ on your back.”

He spat the word scars as if it tasted fowl. Ok?

“I have a hard time believing that I was involved in a fight. Usually the most violent thing I do is a good tongue lashing.”

“That’s true.” Emily could hear the smile in his voice.

The moment was ruined though when she hissed lightly as he went over a tender spot in her back.

“Sorry!” He removed his hands immediately.

“No it’s not the wounds; it’s just my back itself. You ran your hands over a knot.” Now that she thought about it, she really needed to stretch out her back. It was extremely stiff and sore from sleeping on it for…however long she was out.

“Hey…um.” What should she call him? “Can I call you Hank?” She looked at him over her shoulder shyly. He stared at her a moment, confused, before nodding.

“Well, could you help me stretch my back? Here, I’m gonna cross my arms and I just need you to grab and lift me straight up from right below where I cross them.”

Hank gladly wrapped his arms around where she told him, happy she asked.

“Ok, now lift me straight up.” He did as requested and regretted it instantly. Several snapping sounds came from the bottom of her spine and went all the way to the base of her skull.

His first thought was ‘I KILLED HER’, but a loud sigh said otherwise.

“Thank you soooo much. That feels so much better.” Emily relaxed in Hanks hold. It took her a few moments to realize Hank hadn’t put her down yet.

His fur was warm to the touch and surprisingly soft. She wanted to lean back into it and take a nap.

_NO, bad mind bad! He may be your mate, but you remember diddlysquat! No taking advantage of the situation, Hank is too nice of a guy._

_But Xavier said that you were married_

_I DON’T CARE_

She wasn’t sure when she accepted this entire situation as real. But as far as she was now concerned, it was until proven otherwise, and she most definitely was not going to do something stupid to ruin it.

Hey, if being insane means imagining a world where an amazing guy wraps his arms willingly around you and doesn’t let you go, then she was down for that.

_Speaking of letting things go_

“Uh, Hank? You can let me go now.”

Emily peered at her feet and realized just how much taller Hank was than her.

_Good Lord! He’s holding me a solid foot above the ground! Dang._

“I don’t think he trusts you not to fall apart if he does.” She couldn’t see Xavier but she could hear the smile on his face.

_Double dang_

She had completely forgotten he was there. She blamed Hottie Mc-blue-fur for that.

_Did he just laugh? Stupid telepath._

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you Chuck?” She heard him laugh again and Hank still had yet to move.

“If by enjoying you mean I am entertained by the current situation then yes I am. You have to admit it’s quite amusing.”

“I don’t have to do nothing except stay white, pay taxes and die.” She snarked back, more than a little miffed. Her thoughts were supposed to be private gull darn it!

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Hanks mind froze.

_Did he just break her?!_

He tentatively held her to him, afraid that when he let go she would fall apart. They had been married for 18 years, and in all that time she had never done something like this!

Hank listened to her talk to Charles. His friends laugh breaking through his thoughts. He needed to finish checking her over.

His mates scent sharpened and he heard her huff at Charles. No doubt, she was not enjoying the attention.

Hank growled lightly at Charles making both him and Lia startle.

“Sorry.” Hank apologized quietly as he lowered his mate to the floor and backed away an inch. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Better actually, that stretched my back out great.” She had to crane her neck to look him in the eye.

“Are you sure?” Charles stepped closer to them. “Even I heard that.”

Her head whipped around to stare at Charles.

“I’m fine Chuck. If anything I’d like to stretch some more.” True to her statement, Amelia threw her arms out in front of her without a thought. Both elbows snapped while both shoulders popped. She then proceeded to scare them by leaning back to stretch her back again. It continued to make awful snapping sounds.

Hank was astonished. It sounded like all her bones were breaking! And she was just stretching! He had never before witnessed his mate do such things!

When he noticed her turning her head to treat her neck the same way he freaked and grabbed both sides of her face to hold it still.

“Please stop. It sounds extremely painful, please stop.” He could see she wanted to argue. Amelia simply nodded though, the best she could, instead.

“It’s not painful, promise.” Hank let her go with a sigh.

“Come over here. I need to finish examining you.” He turned away from her to make his way to the supply cabinet. Hank made it three steps before he heard another couple of loud snaps.

He whipped around to stare at Amelia. She was biting her lip. He sniffed twice for her scent.

“Sorry. I did not do that on purpose. Those hurt.” Emily sucked in a breath before stepping toward Hank.

He was surprised that she admitted that. He sniffed again and noticed that she smelled normal now. The pain was gone.

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“What on earth popped that time?” Charles made himself known once more.

Every time Emily would focus on Hank, it was as if no one else was there. She needed to have that looked at.

Without preamble, she hopped up onto the table and sighed.

“It was just my knees and hips. They pop more often than anything else.”

She saw Bea-no Hank.

She saw Hank frown at her words.

_Aww, that’s sweet. I have a hubby who gets concerned for me. Yay!_

Emily didn’t bother hiding her smile at the thought. Screw the telepath, if she remembered what Hanks character was like then she was one lucky woman.

Then again, Hank was stuck with her as his wife.

_He deserves better than me. What in the world did I even do to catch his eye? I certainly wasn’t being myself._

She frowned in thought and let Hank continue his examination, completely missing the look Xavier gave her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please R&R


	3. Keep On Loving You

“Alright, physically you’re good. The wounds are healing fine and you passed all your tests.” Hank gave Amelia a smile.

She returned it easily. “Thanks Doc, that was fast. Anything else?”

“Yes.” Charles chuckled when he saw that he startled her again. “I’ll need to enter your mind to determine what exactly is going on with your memory.” He walked over and stopped directly in front of her.

“Alright.” Amelia squirmed a bit in her seat. “I apologize in advance for the mess.”

Charles smiled at the joke. “No need to worry I’m sure it’s as delightful as your humor.”

She smiled back as he focused on her.

She felt like she was falling for a moment before the ground was suddenly beneath her and an old memory replayed before her eyes.

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Emily stared at the pale blue Wisconsin sky as she lay in the early spring sun. It was always 10 degrees warmer on this side of the church because that big ball of gas would warm the bricks from 12:00 to 3:00.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the grass between her toes. Living in Wisconsin meant long snowy winters, and thanks to the red brick of the church, the first grass of spring was already surfacing.

Of course, the grass was only visible around the wall. Not a foot away from her on both sides was still at least 3 inches of partially melted snow.

Emily to this day still doesn’t know what possessed her brother to do this, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

She felt someone run by her laughing, and when she looked up she became furious.

Ben had stolen her socks and shoes!

Without thinking, she leapt to her feet and gave chase, uncaring of her bare feet and the crushed ice like snow.

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Emily put her little cousin down to get a drink of water. This was the most Kimi had ever played with her and she was loving it.

She would fill her cheeks with air and let Kimi hit them to force the air out of her mouth making a fart sound. Kimi loved it, and Emily loved hearing her laugh.

Unfortunately, Kimi thought they were still playing. When she took a big drink of water, her cheeks filled and puffed out. Emily would’ve stopped her had she seen what she was about to do.

All she knew was one second she was getting ready to swallow and the next a wet, crying Kimberly was running for Aunt Margie.

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“Carson! NO!” Emily ran to catch up with her nephew. His mother went shopping with her mother. Of course a bizarre set of circumstances left him here with her and her newest, and pregnant, sister in law.

“Spit that out!” She held him around his middle and put a hand in front of his mouth.

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 _Awww! She’s adorable! Oh, she’s got Bens’ eyes_.

Emily held her niece for the first time.

“Hello Abigail, how’s my favorite niece?” Abby just yawned once more.

“She’s your only niece.” She rolled her eyes at Jon.

“Whatever.”

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She loved Grandma’s tapioca pudding. Emily hoped she brought it to Thanksgiving. Grandma always made it for her sister, but never seemed to remember that she liked it too.

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Charles sifted through memory after memory but still could not find any tampering or replacement done to any of them. Perhaps he should search for something else.

There, her last memory was quite a while ago and…

It’s gone. Her memories were not tampered with at all, at least not the ones she had. Everything else was; Being Amelia, marrying Hank and having their children. All gone.

_Why? Didn’t he torture them enough?_

Charles sighed. This was going to be hard on everyone.

“I believe that is all I need.” Charles backed away, trying to keep his face neutral.

“That’s it? No life shattering discoveries? No, “‘boop’ there all fixed”? Do you even know what’s wrong?” Emily sounded panicked.

“It’s a little early to tell. Your memories of this place, of living here and creating relationships with its inhabitants, have all been erased. Discovering a way to bring them back will be much more difficult than merely…‘boop’.”

“I know this is real now, and real life doesn’t exactly work that way, but I figured with a frickin telepath you’d at least find something!”

Charles watched Hank from his peripherals. He was not handling her stress well.

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Hank twiddled his thumbs, angry that that was all he could really do. His mate was in obvious distress and he could no easier hold her to soothe it away then he could herd a group of cats.

“Well, it was actually what I couldn’t find. Your life involving everyone here at the school is simply, gone.”

He winced at Charles’ words. Hearing them spoken aloud and sounding so absolute kept constricting his heart.

Not to even mention what Ame-Emilys scent was doing to him. She smelled terrified and looked so small and vulnerable. Sometime during Charles’ explanation, she had brought her legs up and hugged them to her chest.

“Can’t you do something to…I don’t know, at least reassure me that I’m not crazy?” Tears started forming in her eyes as they pled with Xavier.

Charles sighed again. The sound broke whatever was holding her water works back.

Emily buried her face into her knees and Hank was just about done.

“Leave.”

Charles looked at Hank shocked. “Listen, Hank. Now is not the best time to…”

“Just leave.” Hanks voice was dangerously low and steady. Charles complied for the sake of them both and closed the door on his way out.

It was silent for a few moments as he watched her body convulse. Hank could take no more. Without preamble, he gathered her into his arms and sat on the bed with her in his lap.

He shushed her sobs and began purring lightly. He felt her pause at the sound for a moment before she melted into him. Lia clung to his fur, even ran her fingers through it some, and sniffled into his chest. He kissed her forehead lightly and began rocking back and forth gently.

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Emily sighed and snuggled into Hanks warmth further. It was amazing, soft and warm. For the first time in her life she understood what writers meant when they said “she felt like she was right where she belonged”. Never in her life had she felt so comforted, cherished and… _right_ with someone. It was as if she and Hank were two pieces of a puzzle, and the fit was perfect.

“Whatever happens, I made a vow, _‘for better or worse’_. I’ll be right here when you need me. Just ask, we’ll figure this out.”

He couldn’t have said anything more perfect. Emily's feelings of selfishness over clinging to Hank dissolved. If it was ok to cuddle then she wouldn’t bother feeling bad about taking advantage of the furry situation.


	4. Time, Love, And Tenderness

Hank continued to purr and stroke Emily’s long chocolate tresses. He could feel her breathing slow as she calmed down. She had buried her nose in his neck to inhale his scent. It was a comfort to him as well, being that it was a familiar action of hers.

His mind raced with the information it had been given as he continued comforting his wife.

_How could this be? Born in 1998? It’s only 1983… No memory tampering? Time travel perhaps?_

Time travel made sense.

  1. Even with the memory loss she was still able to tell him and Charles basic information about them.
  2. She had told him on multiple occasions that “If I were to tell you the truth, I don’t think you’d believe me.”, despite overwhelming evidence to support the contrary
  3. Lia has made many statements in regard to her family that she had “Given up ever being able to see them again.”



Not to mention her uncanny ability to simply _know_ what’s going on. To him, she had always seemed inexplicably unfazed by the many strange things they’ve encountered through the years. Though Hank had always attributed it to her time spent in the strange Organization she’s not allowed to talk about.

He sighed. Perhaps, in a perverted sense, this was what their marriage needed. Hank hadn’t actually held her like this since she was pregnant with their youngest and he relished in the contact.

For the past few months, it’s felt like she’s been pulling away from him. He assumed it was merely melancholy over a bout of nostalgia, as usual. But when it went from the usual day or two, into a month and then two; Henry had been worried and so unsure about what was going on.

He hardly ever knew what went on in that unique mind of hers, and while most of the time it amused and bemused-in a good way- others were more than a bit disconcerting. Hank had tried several times to initiate an in depth and stimulating discussion in order to discover the problem. However, Lia always seemed convinced she was fine, and that Henry was merely worrying over nothing. He had only ever forced the issue once, and the resulting fight had been vicious.

Both he and Lia tried their best to never truly have a fight. Arguments? Yes. Debates? Every day. Actual fights? Nasty explosive things to be avoided.

Hank was proud to say that in 18 years of marriage they’d only ever had 3 fights. Of course those were despicable ordeals, as his temper caused him to use his extensive vocabulary to intimidate and belittle her intelligence. Hers turned her tongue into a double edged sword, and she knew how to go for the jugular on _anybody_.

And through it all she was always the first to come to him and apologize, even if it was only because she _thought_ they had a fight. He could still remember during her first pregnancy when she had gotten upset over his tardiness to dinner. He had promised to be up by 6 and ended up 20 minutes late. Hank still couldn’t figure out what nerve that had struck, but she was still mad at him that evening. He assumed he’d be sent to the couch to sleep, after all he had heard many men complain that that was what happens with an angry wife.

She hadn’t. She went to their guest bedroom instead without saying a word. Henry tossed and turned all night guilt ridden, confused and instincts on high alert because his mate wasn’t beside him. He ended up on the guest room floor beside the bed just so he could sleep. In the morning he had asked her why she hadn’t kicked him out of bed and her response stunned him.

“Because _I_ was the one who was mad, over nothing I’ll admit, and I wasn’t about to kick you out of bed just because I wasn’t happy.”

Looking down as…Emily, twirled the fur on his back around her fingers, Hank could see the woman he had married 18 years ago. The boisterous, brazen attitude, the genuine sincerity and the thoughtful expression were just a few things he had missed.

* * *

 

Emily snaked her hands up the back of Hank’s shirt and ran her fingers through his fur unabashedly. She hugged him closer and buried her nose in his neck.

_He smells so…familiar. I love it_

She sighed contentedly at the feel of his nails gently scratching her back. It felt amazing.

Emily could recognize contemplation anywhere and Henry’s posture radiated it. She would have asked what was on his mind, but considering everything that had just happened she didn’t want to know.

She just lay against him, playing with his fur and enjoying the feel of strong warm arms wrapped protectively around her. She even loved the purr; the way it rumbled from his chest was soothing and about to put her to sleep if she was being honest.

She stifled a yawn, he laughed, she humphed a little before wiggling a bit to get more comfortable in his lap. He kissed the side of her head, right above her ear. She did not expect the words that fell from his lips.

“I love you.”

The way he said it made her want to cry. It was so soft and gentle, so sincere and sweet. She was about to echo him when the words died on her tongue.

_Could I really say that, if I don’t remember anything? Should I? It would seem so cheap and wrong…but, I can’t say nothing…_

“I..uh… _Henry_ …” Emily spoke in a stunned whisper. They pulled apart and stared at each other.

“I apologize. I…”

“No no no, you have no reason to. I just…” She started to explain, but bit her tongue to keep herself from continuing. She hated it when she word vomited.

Henry stared at her intently, as if willing her to continue. “You just what?” He rubbed her back as if to encourage her. “You can tell me. It’s ok.”

Emily’s eyebrows knit together in thought. _Well…he **is** your husband. All those years of listening to your father do marriage counseling, and you’re contemplating whether or not to heed his most important piece of advice?! Suck it up married me and talk!_

She sucked in a breath and glanced back up at Hank. His expression was of patience, as if he’d wait all day for her to speak. She blew out the breath she was holding. _Here it goes…_

“I just…I don’t want to say it because I feel like it would be…I can’t think of the word, but like it would be bad for me to say it?” She could tell Hank didn’t understand her, so she decided to switch tactics. She was an aspiring writer after all.

“How about a metaphor then? I feel like...like I’ve been tossed overboard and when I went under the water the ship filled with my crew and everything familiar, is now nowhere in sight. Now I’ve washed up on an island where everyone knows what’s going on but me and I’m still trying to figure out what the heck happened to my ship. I know nothing, I know no boundaries, I don’t know what’s good and what’s not, and I don’t know where to go or what to do. I’m just hanging on to the life preserver,” She gestured to Hank and squeezed his arm as if to say ‘that’s you’ “That’s kept me from going completely under. And I’m terrified of doing something that will damage it.”

Emily bit her lip and stared at her hands in her lap, waiting for Hank’s response with baited breathe.

* * *

 

Henry tried his best to follow her logic; the anticipation of getting her to open up made the Beast impatient. But he beat it back for it would do no good to rush her.

He supposed miscommunication was bound to happen when someone had difficulties expressing their thoughts as she seemed to. And in that observation he understood a little of why Lia never seemed to talk to him about her thoughts. Hank had no problem finding words to express his thoughts and ideas, as he had a plethora at his disposal. Lia did not, though he found her metaphor quite appropriate and amazing really. Not to mention the fact that that word picture she had created for him not only conveyed her emotions, but her thoughts, her opinion and her perspective of the situation. It was excellently put together, especially from off the cuff.

Hank stared at her for a moment or so taking in what she told him. The pensive look on her face, like she was afraid of what he’d say, was like an arrow to his heart. _Was this why she never spoke to me? Was she afraid? Did she have a reason to be?_

He was terrified of the answer to his last question and resolved to prove that she has absolutely no reason to fear anything associated with him. The Beast whined and shrunk in on himself at the thought of his mate fearing him.

“First of all,” Her head shot up to look at him. “That was positively eloquent, if not depressing. Second, thank you for telling me. And third…” He paused at the expression on her face. She looked surprised, as if she’d never been complemented before and that gave him a start. “…third, you can ask anything of me. I am a 24/7 walking talking dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia of anything you'd like to know. Not just me, everyone here knows you and will be made aware of the situation, so feel free to ask anyone. It’s alright to feel lost, essentially you are and I’m afraid the only thing that’s going to fix that will be to re-familiarize yourself with things considered normal. It’ll be slow going, but you have friends and family here and they’ll all want to help.”

“Really?” Lia’s voice was uncharacteristically small and quiet.

“Really.” He kissed her on the forehead before lifting her from his lap and setting her on the bed. “Now, I’ll be right back. I’m going to go grab some extra clothes for you and then I’ll show you where the shower room is. Then, if you feel up to it, I can show you around the mansion.”

Henry smiled at the excited expression on her face. She looked like a kid at Christmas.

“Really?! Yeah!” He chuckled at her enthusiasm.  

**Author's Note:**

> Please R&R


End file.
